Finally Chapter 5. I've been sitting on this one for a while because I lazy about going through editing. I've finally done what I can and stopped being distracted from working on later chapters. Hope you enjoy this one, this is where the story begins to open up as we hit our half way point. IF there is anything please let me know in a review.

Day Three: Calamity

Naoto blinked, slightly unsure of where she was. It took her a second as the azure sky shone over her body as the familiar feeling of wet-less water was under her. Carefully she stood up quickly remembering what this place was.

"Glad to have you back." Marie's voice startled Naoto forcing her to step back.

"Oh Marie, you scared me."

"Sorry about that. I was eager for an update." The look on the deity was definitely one of concern. She was worried and for good reason.

"My mistake, it's been a stressful day." Marie seemed to agree on that. Her look did say for her to go on. Naoto's sigh caused Marie to frown, "Well the two places I needed to start off with were his apartment and his University. The good thing is that his apartment alone gave a good idea what has happened, it's been enough to be the main drive behind what I can do to help him." Looking at Marie's face, she was on the edge of her every word.

"As for his University, it proved to be a waste of time. Nothing of note happened there plus the people who share his office said nothing unusual other than he's been away a longer period of time than what they thought was normal."

Marie seemed a little crestfallen. "I see. That makes sense. So what happened at his home?"

"There seemed to have been a fight. And whatever the threat was, it was enough for him to use his sword. His living room was complete chaos. I picked up his sword from the debris. His furniture was shredded, and mostly damaged everywhere else. His bedroom was seemingly ransacked. Whoever took Souji or knows where he is had been staying there during that period of time. And the strangest thing is that they were filling out forms to change Souji-kun's identity to Minato Arisato-"

Marie raised her hand to stop Naoto dead. "That's Elizabeth's guest. He's the seal for the door of the Nyx. Why would..."

Naoto saw Marie's face stuck in thought like she's just had time to process what's going on. The Sleuth's eyes followed her as she started to pace left and right.

"Is something the matter?" Marie shook her head but didn't stop moving.

"Yes, this is very wrong. What they are trying is insanity. I don't think it will work but the consequences for trying would be dire."

"What do you think whoever this is planning?" She stopped for a second and turned to her.

"The amount of power that seal has is something most people are not able to comprehend. At its highest power the Wild Card can do many things that are not feasible for even gods like me. Using Souji's power can not only rupture the seal, this person might even be trying to absorb it. That combined with the unleashment of the Nyx; at that point we could have the end of the world as we know it. Combining the power of both Wild Cards using that as a catalyst would be insane. On top of that both of the Wild Cards in question are both fully powered, matured. Oh man oh man."

"We are playing against a stacked deck I'm assuming..."

"Indeed, since you are here however, you still have Souji's power. So that's one positive, and I can still sense Souji as well. He's light is getting dimmer but he's still holding on."

"How much time do I have?"

"Considering the rate he's been going, a couple days at best. I'm not sure what will happen after that."

"So I have until tonight to find him then. Something tells me I'll need to go into the other world. I wish I had the team to help me on this one." Naoto's frown was deep. She knew she didn't have much time but to now hear it put this way placed her on a severe edge.

"Have you had any allies you could speak to?"

"I've been working with Kirijo Mitsuru, since Arisato-san is dear to her. I called her wanting more information but she decided to come along because her company has vested interests in keeping the seal in place." That put a small smile on Marie's face.

"That's a reliable name..." Marie said looking into the distance in thought

"Also I think Souji is in the TV world." Just as quickly her head snapped back, facing her with a look of shock.

"Say what!?"

"When looking at his apartment, there was no fight to pull him out of it. It would have been hard to hide him struggling on the way out especially with the mess in his living room; surely if he did it would have spilled outside and would be difficult to hide something from others. He was either pushed through or jumped in voluntarily. I'm not too sure which one it is since if I have his power and his weapon he's in there unarmed and-"

"His body is decaying... He doesn't have a shadow to prop him up either. Oh man..." She turned to her, face somewhere between a panic and determination. "Right change of tactics, I'll step up in my attempt to contact Margaret and send her over as soon as possible. I need you to enter the TV World and find him. But you need to do it from a safe location, I can't track him myself but the power of the Wild Card might bring you closer to him, and also whoever is doing this as well."

"That's my current plan now. Also one more thing of note..."

"Hmm?"

"The security guard that was watching over Souji-kun's apartment block attacked me and Kirijo-san in my hotel room yesterday. It almost seemed like he was possessed..."

"Ok. Ok. That last bit of detail justifies a small suspicion I have with what is going on. I'm worried that a being not of this world is manipulating things behind the scenes that have considerably more understanding than most of us about the world of Personas at play here. You may be dealing with some personification of a god similar to me if they can pull something like that off."

"...Great..."

"Yeah, only very certain types of beings can do that. As soon as I know something I'll pull you back in here."

"I can't just go to sleep in the middle of the day." Marie shook her head.

"You don't have too. Just close your eyes. Keep your phone on you. Anyway..." She tapped Naoto's forehead again causing the Sleuth to cross her eyes trying to track the patch of her finger, a bright light emitting from it before everything fading into white.

...

...

Stumbling through the station, even with the brighter lights, the constant blue tint in his vision was getting annoying. It was like he was going colour blind. Seeing the world in one contrast setting was jarring now he'd spent more time noticing. Not running for his life was helpful in now having the ability to concentrate on other things. The fact he couldn't have to worry about the instant danger meant he could concentrate on the not so instant ones. At that point he noticed that the shutters for the platform were closed, meaning he was trapped on this platform unless he wanted to make his way back. Looking around he saw nothing to indicate an exit, until he noticed another track side gate open. Just like in Akihabara station it flapped in the windless air, almost like it was inviting him in. Figuring this maybe the way to go, he went ahead, hoping it would lead him to answers.

...

...

Naoto's eyes shot wide open as she looked around. Blinking she realised that she was back in her hotel room. Checking the time, seeing her mobile blaring at her that it was 7am, it was bright enough to give her a head start. She took a second to look around her room. Seemingly nothing has changed as the content of her suit case was strewn in a small pile on the red carpet of the hotel room. She scolded herself at her untidiness as she moved the covers away. Taking a quick look at her phone she noticed no new messages. Hoping that maybe someone from the investigation team would have caught on to what's going on, the pipe dream of getting a message of support was gone. Hoping out of bed, Naoto bolted to the bathroom, wasting no time in getting ready for the day. She spent the morning running Marie's words in her mind, if this went wrong how disastrous it may be for everyone involved. She'll make sure to relay any information to Kirijo-san. If anything she needed to hear how dangerous this was.

Walking towards the bathroom she picked up some new clothes from her suitcase similar to the ones she was wearing yesterday and bundled them under her arm. Stepping carefully not to trip over her own stuff she made it to the bathroom to get ready. Happy that she had a shower last night, it meant she could get ready a lot quicker this morning without giving her mind too much time on its own, which always made things difficult at the moment.

At 7:35 the Sleuth was outside Mitsuru's hotel room door with the Toukasa Blade in hand and Souji's key in her inside jacket pocket. Knocking on it she waited for a reply. After a couple minutes she opened up, looking like she was ready for the day herself only with a slight droop of the eyes. Naoto was about to suggest something before Mitsuru beat her to it.

"On the way out let us grab a pair of coffees to go. We can drink in my car." It was one of the best ways to start the day in Naoto's eyes.

"Sounds like a good idea."

...

"So how did you sleep?" Mitsuru had an idea what her answer would be before she even said the question. Considering how the day would go, it was nice to use normal conversation to bring the tension down.

"As you can imagine not well..." Taking a sip of coffee, "...However I had another talk with Marie last night."

That instantly took her interest.

"If you don't mind me asking, what was said?" She mulled over the words of the deity. It was very easy to make it sound like this was a zero sum game. The head start the perpetrator had been enough with the drastic play they made to make it seem that this unwinnable for herself. But the only thing that was in play is that she had Souji's power in her grasp. There was also the thought that she had it because it wasn't needed.

"She went over most of the things I described to you last night. She doesn't think whoever this is would be interested in resurrecting someone. It's more like they would be interested in absorbing the power of the seal by using the power of the Wild Card as a catalyst." Mitsuru's face showed surprise, a lot of it.

"How do they know that will even work?" Taking another sip of coffee, she shook her head.

"Marie doesn't think it will work at all. A Fool's errand as they say." She saw her visibly relax at that, but turned away to look from the window. "The mere attempt to try is going to bring destruction down on us however."

The sigh that came after knew exactly it meant.

"I figured as much."

"On top of all that, from what she can sense, Souji's 'light' is dimming under the strain of wherever he is. She came to the same conclusion that I did when talking about he must be in the other world. It's the only way to explain it; he can't just vanish in thin air in a city like this. I figured I do need to go into the TV to search for him."

"Think you are up for the task?"

Naoto sighed, in a way she hated. The one where she was only given one choice, "I don't have a choice. I would rather do it with more back up but I have to take my chances on this one. I don't have time to get my team even if I wanted to. They wouldn't even know what we will be fighting for, if they even want to fight at all."

"Don't have faith in them?" It was a loaded question. Mitsuru knew exactly what she meant in how she asked. All it did was make the Sleuth growl in frustration.

"It's not about having faith in them. They don't remember him. They don't know who he is. How can you have conviction to throw your life away for someone you don't know?" A thick silence enveloped the limo as the pair sat quietly. The only thing going was the hum of the vehicle that they were in. The leader of the Kirijo group was about to apologise when Naoto's watch went off.

"!?" Both of them looked at it as her wrist lit up. Distance: 20m both of them looked at each other. Quickly Mitsuru pressed the driver alarm button.

"Yes Kirijo-sama?"

"Pull over, stop the car now!"

Getting out Naoto sprinted to where she just a second watching the units count down until they hit 20 again and stayed there. Mitsuru was close behind her and stopped right next to her.

"Found anything?" Naoto scanned the area; if Souji was around 20 meters away she would be able to see him from here. If someone had his watch she would be able to tell. Taking a couple steps to the side she realised that it wasn't attracting the watches in a lateral direction. Her brain racked itself for a minute, realising this was her one shot to save him. Then it hit her.

"This distance is based on altitude..." On reaction both she and Mitsuru looked up to the sky, seeing nothing. Then they turned towards Ueno station behind them. "He's underground..." With that they took off to one of the busiest stations in Tokyo.

Quickly running into the concourse of the station she noticed the distance numbers increased a little but paid it no mind. Noting that there were ticket barriers in the way, she ruffled through her inside jacket pocket and pulled out her wallet. She handed Mitsuru her spare Nimoca card as she pulled out her Suica.

"We'll need to get past the barriers, let's go." Both of them quickly tapped in and descended the stairs. Quickly navigating the morning rush hour crowd they slipped and shifted between the groups of people before going down to the Metro Hibaya line. The platform was busy but she could see the numbers on her watch descend quickly.

"We're almost there." She said in a huff as they finally got down the last set of stairs. It was full of people but her watch said 3 meters. Naoto carried on slowly with Mitsuru in tow, changing direction whenever it went up or down. After a couple minutes she stood next to a wall where her watch finally capped out its minimal distance.

Distance 1m

Looking around she saw no sign of him. There couldn't even be anyone here with his watch either. She was confused as hell and the feeling of frustration was starting to bubble within her.

"See anything?" Naoto shook her head looking all over the place before glancing back at her watch. The distance tracker didn't move but there was no sign of him.

"No, this is crazy unless this thing is attracted to something else..." Noticing that Naoto's words trailed off, Mitsuru turned to see Naoto crouching on the ground.

"Something else?"

"It's one of the blue butterflies that Marie was talking about." She blinked, wondering what on earth is going on.

"I can't see anything, as in where you are pointing?"

"Yes, it's swirling around me currently and it's now moving past you." She was about to comment and suddenly realised.

"Do you have Souji's key with you?"

The Sleuth nodded, not going to pull it out in public so not to scare anyone. "You think that's why only I can see it?"

"It has to be unless I've gone blind, and I know I haven't."

Naoto looked at her watch and where the blue butterfly was hovering. Currently her watch said Distance: 3m which is approximately where the butterfly was from her current distance.

"I think we've found him. But he's on the other side, and there aren't any TVs around either. Damn it." Mitsuru looked around, noticing that it was still very busy.

"I have an idea but you might not like it."

"Hmm?"

"We should head to Seta-san's department and try to go in through there. It might not be safe to do so here." She wanted to dispute that call, he was so close. This would have been it but she was right. They had no particular way to get into the TV World from here and they weren't even sure where they would end up. Considering there was still someone on the loose who could over power Souji and he was considerably more powerful than her as a Persona user, playing it safe would be the best course of action right now.

"As much as it pains me to say, you are right. Let's head to Souji's place and see where we get to with that."

With that they both nodded and hurried out of the subway station.

...

...

Dropping to one knee, he knew he couldn't. The feeling of emptiness was starting to become more apparent. He could feel his body getting lighter and making it harder to carry on. His thoughts were becoming more scrambled. As his spectrum of colours started to deteriorate in front of him, the feeling in his hands grew less and less able to detect different surfaces and his hearing was shot as far as he could tell. The only thing he's heard in the past from what he's remembered was the shutters at Akihabara Station. The concept of existing was starting to be exhausting for him. Leaning against the wall he took a breather. That's when he noticed it, the watch on his arm started to bleep. How come he hasn't noticed this before?

It started to bleep with some sort of message on it. It said Distance: 20m. He couldn't work out what it was supposed to mean or its value. Closing his eyes he tried to think, what does this...?

"Souji-kun,"

"I love you Souji-kun."

"I can't wait to move in with you."

"Are you going to help me pack? I'd love it if you would stay with me Souji-kun."

It gave him a searing headache as he clutched his head in agony. The thoughts, it brought him pain. Once he hadn't felt before in some time. It's like the memories didn't match the person who he was and his brain was trying to reject them. These memories couldn't be for him. He doesn't know who this Souji is. It's not him, he didn't have a name and who was this person talking to him. Who was she, has she been the one guiding him all this time trying to get him out or was this just another spectre to attack him with whatever was chasing him. All it did was sap more energy from him as he was already struggling. Whatever he didn't he couldn't shake them off no matter what he tried. Looking at the watch, the numbers got lower and lower. What did that even mean?

The lower the numbers got, the more his head started to throb. HE needed to get away; he had to move but the pain... It's too much. He had to keep going, but the ringing in his head. These were not his memories. He doesn't have memories; he's not capable of having them. Who was she? Why is she so important?

"I need you Senpai,"

"I'm sad to see you go Senpai."

"Please stay with me Souji-kun,"

"It's a good thing I have you back Senpai."

It was too much, it was all too much. He couldn't take it anymore. The thumping was at its peak as the distance bottomed out. His vision became fuzzy, hazy as the overstimulation of the brain was taking away his consciousness, crawling forward, trying the best he could to move, the last thing he saw before his eyes closed was Distance: 2m.

...

...

Coming out of Ueno station they looked around for Mitsuru's limo. She pointed it out after a minute of searching, once spotted they jogged back and jumped into the back seats.

"Did you find what you were looking for Kirijo-sama?"

"Somewhat, anyway proceed to the destination as before."

"Yes Kirijo-sama,"

Turning to Naoto, "We will get to him, we are almost there."

Naoto nodded but she couldn't shake the feeling. Looking down at her shoes she wondered, what was the right call? Will he even be there by the time they get back? Only if there was a way of keeping an eye on him from this world...

"I know but I can't help but worry for his safety anyway. We should be close to his apartment in Nakano so I should focus."

All she could do was nod. Mitsuru had been in two minds about the whole situation. While she knew what it was to fight for a loved one, how much that was at stake was a lot bigger than one person. She knew that Naoto had already made a decision about it. To Naoto her world was Souji and she didn't want to give it up unless there was no hope left. Hopefully the desired outcome is that they both get what they want. The pressing matter of the Nyx and its door was stressful but she prepared contingency plans just in case things got worse. No situation could never be over prepared and she knew exactly what she had to do to keep that door closed if need be.

The drive only took them 15 minutes to get to Souji's set of apartment blocks. The streets were quiet, on brand for a working week day. As Naoto closed the door to the car, the sound of its slam echoed through the silent street, the only noise with them was Mitsuru doing the same. The Sleuth wondered why Souji decided to live in such a quiet area when he's known as such a city person. She lifted his sword over her shoulder as she motioned the former head of S.E.E.S. into the main entrance. To the surprise of neither of them the security guard was not there so they walked up the three sets of stairs to the apartment landing.

"Do you have a means of entering?" Naoto simply nodded as she lifted a pair of keys. "Pick pocketed him yesterday?"

Another curt nod,

After placing the key into the lock, the door gave way and opened up, revealing the room hadn't changed much from her last visit. Turning on her torch she set it up in the middle of the table and twisted it, turning it to a makeshift room lamp.

"It really does look like a fight took place in here..."

"Yes, it's why I'm sure he's in the TV World. After this morning I've never been so sure. Also Nakano isn't so far Ueno but he might have moved since then, I'm hoping I have enough time to search before anything happens. "

Shuffling her hand into her pocket, Mitsuru pulled out a small in-ear communication piece and handed it over.

"We tend to use them so we can communicate between areas. I know Kujikawa-san isn't here but I can at least provide support from this end." Naoto gave her a genuine smile.

"I really appreciate it Kirijo-san." She took a moment to fit it in as Mitsuru did the same. "Hopefully this won't take too long. I'll let you know at the first sign of trouble."

"Good, you getting hurt now will only jeopardise this case."

"Mmm, hopefully his key will lead me to him."

"Oh indeed it will lead you to him..." The ladies in the room bristled as they heard a voice from outside the apartment. Both of them got into a fighting stance as the said voice started to clap as they entered the room. As they walked in, his look in the dim light caused Naoto to gasp and Mitsuru to growl.

"It's been difficult enough to make sure all the pieces are in place but I must say it's coming together. After all of this time, I thought I'd have to start chasing you back to Inaba he called it. It's amazing that your memories of him stay intact. I find it interesting how these bonds work." He said flexing his hand.

"What or who the hell are you?" Mitsuru shouted. His look triggered her anger.

"That is absolutely none of your concern Mitsuru Kirijo." The smirk was uncharacteristic for the face that was on it, but it only made Naoto anxious.

"What have you done Souji Seta?" He scoffed, completely ignoring the question. He paced round the table in the middle so his face now illuminated by the lamp in the middle room; clapping all the while he did so. He was in the image of Minato Arisato but his eyes were Souji's. The calm and aloof ones Naoto was familiar in love with were now twisted and sinister. His hair shifted from the dark blue to Souji's silver closer to the ends they were. It was like a horrifying amalgamation of the two which didn't look complete.

"Unfortunately for you I don't have time for games so I'm going to cut to the chase. You have two choices, give me his key now and I'll allow you to walk out of here or I'll kill you both where you stand and take it from you."

"I-"

"Over my dead body!" Naoto roared as she pulled out her revolver.

He sighed, almost as if he was disappointed. "Suit yourself."

He waved his arm and a blast of wind threw both persona users off their feet into the nearby wall knocking the sword out of Naoto's hand. Groaning in pain, Naoto pulled herself up with the aid of the surface behind her with Mitsuru doing the same a second later.

"What the hell is this thing?"

"I have no idea."

"Die!" He screamed as Naoto ducked and rolled behind the sofa as ethereal blades embedded themselves into the wall where she stood. Mitsuru kicked up the remains of a wooden chair with her feet before firing it with a roundhouse kick sending it hurtling toward their enemy at breakneck speed. He simply just lifted his hand to catch it in mid air before crushing it into wooden shards in his grasp.

Naoto stuck her head out from the sofa and fired several rounds from her revolver. Each shot bouncing and ricocheting off his body without laying a scratch. Turning towards where Naoto was hiding behind the furniture, he walked in her direction. Mitsuru seeing this pulled out a small handle from a secret sleeve in the back of her blouse, and flicked it, the small stick fully extended into a fencing sabre, her traditional weapon. Pressing the button on the side the hilt mask curved around her hand as she charged forward.

"Pathetic!" She thrust forward but he blocked it with his arm. A split second later she pulled back and went again at a different angle as he easily blocked. Mitsuru gritted her teeth as she disengaged as he swung downwards, barely missing her as she hopped back. As his fist connected with the floor, the floor quaked and gave way to its impact, chips of wood and flooring flying everywhere as cracks formed under the missed strike.

"This is a fight you cannot win."

He dived at the fencer with a straight right that she ducked before rolling away he was instantly looming over as he grabbed her leg and picked her up. Just as he did that Naoto fired again, her bullets bouncing off his back right back at her, forcing her to take cover. His momentary distraction allowed Mitsuru to stab him in the leg with her sabre. Ever so slightly, he flinched. Looking down at the leader of the Kirijo Group, he growled as he threw her into the sofa that Naoto was hiding behind. The cushions were enough to break her impact but it was strong enough to cause the living room furniture to tip backwards. Naoto sensing the danger of being crushed by it slid out of the way before it fell on top of her. She kissed her teeth knowing she was more out in the open as nothing was in between them.

"I pity you, I really do. I'll give you one last choice. Hand it over or die?"

Naoto stiffened at his threat but kept her aim as her shaky hands tracked his movement. "Who are you?"

"As I said, it's none of your concern. Really I shouldn't even be conversing with you. You have something of mine and I demand you hand it over."

Her eyes narrowed, "I have nothing to give you, and I don't even know you."

"Oh... But I can be someone you know..." His face morphed temporarily showing more of Souji's features. Naoto took a step back, her gun still raised.

"No you are not!"

"It's a shame really, he's memories of you are so fond. It almost makes me sick. But at the end of the day, you were just going to be another sacrifice for the hurgh-" He was cut short as Mitsuru charged in from the flank and stabbed him in the chest. His face twisted in anger at her defiance while all she did was smirk. Quickly turning to Naoto,

"Piercing melee weapons work!"

"You fool!" Thinking on her feet she picked up Souji's sword that she brought with her and pulled it off the sheath mid-dash. Before emulating one of the moves she's seen her boyfriend do a hundred times and charged in with a lunging stab. His attack on Mitsuru was stopped mid-swing as she embedded her lover's blade into his back, crossing sword with Mitsuru in his midsection. He paused; slowly turning to her showing all it did was making him angrier.

"No more!" He roared using whatever power he had to blow back both ladies. Mitsuru was thrown to the wall near the apartment door before hitting the ground as Naoto hit the TV causing it to wobble but stay on its stand. His eyes turned a familiar golden hue as he performed a motion with his hand causing Naoto to float at his will.

"This is where your journey ends! I will make you rue the day you didn't give me what I want." His hand tensed as she felt the pressure on her neck. The grip tightened making it difficult for her to breathe to the point she was choking. Her hands flailed helplessly as her legs kicked out at the empty air as she felt her conscious slipping under the pressure before several bullets fired along the ground breaking his concentration. Turning around he heard the whirl of an active gatling gun.

"Stand down!" He smirked as he dropped Naoto as she struggled for breath. His face morphing again as he turned around to the newcomer who back peddled slightly.

"Minato-kun?"

"We have a newcomer. Oh we have a new comer!"

"Aigis! He's hostile!" Mitsuru ordered. With that, her eyes focused on her target as her boosters activated propelling her forward towards him. Gritting his teeth he caught her tackle and pushed back against her.

"Ah I forgot, you are not like the others!" After creating distance, he attempted to slam his fist into her chest which she blocked but slid back due to the power behind it. Using her feet, she spun out of his reach and aimed for his head which he ducked to give himself enough space to use an energy blast to knock her off balance. She landed on her feet, skidding back by a metre her boots leaving markings in the wooden floor. Naoto finally finding her bearings tried to get up, instantly getting his attention.

"Oh no no no. I've not forgotten you at all..." In his hand an energy ball started to appear and quickly grew in size. "Your road ends here..."

"Shirogane!" Mitsuru clambered to her feet and rushed forward with Aigis at her side but with his free hand he fired another shockwave knocking them both away.

"Don't interfere!" Turning to the Sleuth, morphing his face again to emulate her loved one. His smile sinister, evil, eyes widening with glee.

"Die!" The ball started to absorb all the light in the room. Naoto, knowing what was coming, put Souji's sword up in guard formation, not having the energy to move that fast.

He fired the blinding light enough to obscure the view of her allies. Just at the point of impact, she felt a tug on her back. Barely given time to register she was yanked backwards falling into the makeshift portal that felt all too familiar.